What If?
by ApocalypticGoose
Summary: "I would have wanted somebody to send her home." That's what Emily said to Mia when they first met (regarding Lorelai). Well what if she had? What if Lorelai was never hired by Mia to work at the inn but instead sent back home? How would the Gilmore girls' lives differ? And how would they stay the same?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, so I decided to write a story-story... Erm... please let me know what you think. The first couple of chapters are probably going to be (really) rather short, but they should eventually get longer as the story proceeds. So yeah... please don't hesitate to follow, favourite or review - it's the only way I'm going to know if anybody likes or is even the slightest bit interested in this story... So... Yeah :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gilmore Girls and I doubt that that'll change any time in the foreseeable future**

 **CHAPTER ONE**

She knew that she was in trouble the moment that she heard Emily Gilmore screeching her name.

"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore! You are in _BIG_ trouble, young lady!"

Normally, she would have mouthed those words in time with her mother, but even she had to acknowledge the fact that doing so right now was _not_ a good idea.

"I mean, _what_ were you thinking?! A person does not just up and leave like that, Lorelai, it's not how things are done..." She zoned out, mentally blocking her mother's voice as she waited for the elder woman to finish her tirade.

"-But of course, _Lorelai Gilmore_ does that - s _he's_ free and not bound by the rules of society! Well do you know what? That's not true! Just because you think something doesn't make it so, and I promise you, young lady, we shall be having some _very_ strong words when we get home!"

"MOM!" Finally, she'd had enough, she couldn't take it any more. "Mom, give it a rest. I'm sorry, okay?!"

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Well _that_ certainly sounded heartfelt. Your father and I find a message from you telling us that you'd _'had enough and weren't coming home'_ , spent the following _three hours_ trying to locate you, before getting a phone call from a _complete stranger_ telling us that you were at her hotel where you'd gone and _begged_ for a job, but _obviously_ with an apology like _that, how can I possibly_ stay mad _. Clearly_ you regret your actions!"

Lorelai closed her eyes and sighed, knowing that there was nothing she could do or say in her defense. _But then again, how was that any different from usual?_

 _When she'd left earlier that afternoon, she hadn't given much thought as to what she was going to do, nor where she was going to stay. All she really knew was that she was going to get away from the Gilmores and their suffocating lifestyle - she didn't want her daughter to grow up being subjected to it. Well, clearly that plan had worked._

 _Instead of finding a job - and a place to live - anywhere, she'd instead been told by numerous people that, due to her lack of credentials and experience, she wasn't worth the risk of hiring. Which was a really low blow when the places she was going to weren't necessarily the... nicest... of places themselves._

 _By the time it was dark, it had started to pour with rain and she was desperate - not to mention that Rory was getting hungry and tired. Marching to the front desk of the first inn she happened to pass, she demanded a job, squaring up her shoulders and looking the manager right in the eye._

 _Unfortunately, it would seem that presenting yourself as a soaking wet, teenage mother runaway was not exactly the best idea, and through the means of hot, strong coffee and sticky toffee cakes, the manager had eventually convinced Lorelai to let her call the girl's parents, efficiently thwarting her escape plan._

"Are you even listening?!" Emily's pointed look and sharp tone cut through her thoughts, forcing her to concentrate on her mother once more.

"Sorry." She sighed again, "Look, Rory's tired and her clothes are still damp. Let's just go home."

Emily's expression softened a fraction at the mention of her granddaughter's name. She pursed her lips. "Fine,but don't think that we're done talking about this - a _nd_ I expect that your father will also have something to say once we get home. Now hurry up, I'm getting a chill."

With that, Emily turned to leave, giving her daughter no choice but to scoop up Rory and grab the bag of clothes that she'd hurriedly packed previously, before following the elder Gilmore out of the inn and toward the car that awaited them.

As she clambered into the backseat, Lorelai sighed once more, silently wishing for the day to come when she could escape from her parent's grip and finally get the chance to live her own life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey.. . So long time no see, huh? I'm trying to think of an excuse as to why it's taken so long to update, but I don't have any... Basically, I shouldn't have impulsively posted that first chapter until I actually had a plan as to what I wanted to happen... but I do now... hopefully...  
Anyhow, hopefully there's a couple of people interested in this story, and if so, please please pleeeeaaaase favourite/follow or review/send me a pm to let me know what you thought.  
Okie dokie? Onwards with the story!  
NOTE: Previous chapter has been slightly edited... It shouldn't really matter, but feel free to read it and revise your memory (of course if your a new reader then that won't really apply... and I'm rambling now so Imma gonna shuddup!) **

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. At all. Ever.**

 **Chapter Two**

She waited until Rory was asleep before breaking down and starting to cry. She didn't want to be a blubbering mess, in fact she tried to stop the tears, but she did so with no avail, resulting in her lying face down on her bed, sobbing loudly into one of her frilly yellow pillows. It seemed to take forever, but eventually Lorelai calmed down enough to sit up, wipe her flushed red cheeks and try to come up with a plan.  
Whilst her plan to run away clearly did not work, she now knew what she needed to do, what she _had_ to do if she ever wanted to leave; get her GED, gain experience working and get a reliable job. Three daunting tasks that would take a whole lot of hard work and time in order to complete, but that didn't matter - Lorelai Victoria Gilmore was nothing if not determined. 

A knock at her window caused her to snap her head around to the direction of her balcony. A boy clambered into her room, a rueful smile on his face, and her surprise quickly became understanding as she gestured for him to sit beside her.

"Chris!" Smiling for the first time in what felt like a _very_ long time, she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "What are you doing here?" 

"I missed you. Strobe and Francine have been doing my head in, so I made my escape and went to rescue my fair maiden." He shot her another smile, though this one quickly faded as he studied her face. "What's wrong?"

She shrugged, suddenly exhausted from the evening's events. "Doesn't matter, it's just been a long day... I had another fight with Emily and Richard earlier, and I think Rory's teething - she's been being rather fussy for a couple of days now." She didn't feel bad about lying to Christopher. She knew that she probably should have, but she just... _couldn't._

Chris chuckled. "Well she _is_ our daughter, I think if she wasn't giving her parents trouble then that'd be cause for concern."

That made her frown. Angirily, she scowled. "She's not like that." She told the boy, "She's not like us. Rory wouldn't want to give us trouble, and she won't hate us, not ever. My daughter isn't going to have that sort of relationship with me, she can't. I'm not going to treat her - to _control_ her - like Emily does. I mean, hell, if I got it my way, then she won't even grow up like this - I'd take her far away, like I tried today-"

Too late, Lorelai realised what she'd said.

Chris' look turned from one of concern for her to one of incredulous and anger. "What?!" He exclaimed loudly.

"Chris, I-"

"Seriously, did you just admit to trying to leave - hell, to _run away_ \- with Rory?!"

"No, I mean yes, but-"

"Do you really think that that's okay?!"

"Well why not? It's not like you go out of your way to see her!"

"Do not make me the bad guy here, Lorelai!"

"Look, I didn't mean it like that, I just meant-"

" _She's my daughter!"_ Anguish filled his voice, making Lorelai flinch at Chris' display of emotion. "She's my daughter and you'd just take off like that, I don't even get a say?"

"It's not your say to have. We don't live together. We're not married."

"And who's choice was that? Who's choice was every decision that we've had to make recently. Hell, you didn't even tell me when you were in _labor_ \- Emily and Richard had to contact _Francine_. I didn't even get a say in her name. _Nothing_ has been my choice, Lorelai, _nothing_. Well do you know what, _this_ is. What I'm saying right here, right now, _that's_ my choice."

Lorelai frowned slightly. "What...What are you saying?"

"I'm saying," With a deep breath, Christopher Hayden looked Lorelai Gilmore directly in the eye, and said his next sentence slowly and carefully, knowing full well that he'd pretty much ruined any chance for the two teen lovers to reconcile. "What I'm saying is that I'll fight. You try and leave with Rory, or make any more decisions about OUR daughter without my contribution, and I'll fight you. I'll fight for custody, and I'm pretty sure that I'd win."


End file.
